On 18 september “Berlin City Parliament” (senate) elections will take place in this city. Political parties promise heaven and earth. Slogans like »Berlin remains affordable« are shameless jokes in course of expulsion of renters all-around the city.

The conflict with the »Law & Order« policy of Frank Henkel (Interior Senator of Berlin, CDU) which occured on account of the illegal eviction of Rigaer Straße 94 by the police of Berlin was just an example of how rebellious renters shall be isolated and criminalized. People who offer resistance against existence-threatening evictions and exorbitant rents run the risk of being villainized as an »extremist« by the ruling politicians.

This is crazy because the senate has been fostering the tourist orientated commercialization and impoverishment of the citizens for years. Privatization of rented appartments, evictions, the threat of losing tenthousands of social housing appartments, the isolation of refugees in unhuman camps – all this is done by the city parliament and part of a plan to devide and seperate those citizens and push them further to the edge of society. Hartz IV and wage dumping make life less affordable, because more and more of the income has to be used for paying rent and also the city center became far too expensive for a lot of people.

Instead of relying on these empty promises which were made during the election campaigns, we have to stick to solidarity and the collective fight against racism and social exclusion. The result of the election doesn’t matter in any certain way because there will be no support by the parliament or even the districts. Our claims for living space for everyone and self-organized projects contradict with their idea of a capitalistic city. Laws against vacation rentals and the protection of certain hoods won’t fight shortage of affordable appartments and suppression and are only a try not to lose ground. Therefore it is necessary to organize our fight with solidary people who have the same ideals. The senate is talking about housing policy, we do it!

The daily struggle of neighbours in all parts of this town wether its Friedelstraße 54, Koloniestraße, Dubliner Straße, people who fight for a »Social Center 4 all« (Soziales Zentrum für Alle), the resistance of Hans-Georg Lindenau (HG) and supporters around the store for revolutionary needs »M99« in Kreuzberg and all the other small and unknown struggles against suppression and separation show: Resistance is possible and necessary!

Renters strikes and blockades are a good tool against high rents and impending evictions. We want to connect with our neighbours and found house- and neighbourhoodmeetings. Let’s support one another with assisting each other in court and appointments with the landlords and owners. Let’s unionize ourselves against those daily harassments: Berlin stays venture-capital!

Let’s get together to show that a self-organized life is possible, far from this capitalist and racist society where earning money and making profit is the main target.

Take part in the protest on rent-policy on the 10 september in Berlin!